I had a bad breakout last month.

I tend to have clear skin, except for one or two teeny zits during PMS, but apart from that, relatively clear skin.

Until last month, little red bumps that looked liked acne started popping up all over the face (horrors!). I had a tough time looking at myself in the mirror (yes, I am vain like that), and even a tougher time telling myself never to pick on those zits.

Maybe it was the hormones that went berserk last month, or stress, but I decided that I should do something about my diet and see if it improved things. So I gave myself a challenge, to start with breakfast.

My breakfast used to look like that :

The most, after a weekend of over-eating, I would have a guilt-free detox breakfast like that (but over-compensate it during lunch)

So, I tried to improve my breakfast, by eating mom’s freshly baked Hot Cross Buns during breakfast and some fruits.

Then I figured I should try to reduce process foods out of my diet, stopped buying Betty Crocker’s quick mix pancakes. Made some changes to a recipe that I found online, and started making my own pancakes.

Here’s some home-made pancakes on a healthier day with yogurt and nuts. I still allow myself some maple syrup and fruit compote over the pancakes some mornings.

Breakfast got a bit healthier, when I discovered Wafu sauce, a Japanese Soy Sauce and Sesame dressing from the supermarket. That sauce makes any type of fresh vegetables taste better.

And I discovered that cream cheese on bread with cherry tomatoes actually tasted quite good.

And experimented with some Bento-style arrangements by using cookie cutters on leftover pancakes from K. Don’t try bolled Lotus in your salad though, it might look quite interesting on the plate, but tasted quite vile with Wafu dressing.

I still can’t do without tea or decaffeinated coffee every breakfast though, and a spot of butter on my toast.

And started to make that consistent effort to have a good balance of fruits and fresh veggies every breakfast. Even K was convinced that Mommy’s breakfast looked alot more interesting than his, and starting sharing my breakfast on some mornings

It was when I started adding a fresh salad and a mix of fruits, the process of setting up breakfast every morning got a lot more fun. I started trying different combinations of fruits, different spreads for my toast (I still can’t cut out white bread from my diet, as I am not a fan of whole-meal).

And the result after a month?

My skin is now clear. Only with a teeny little zit during PMS recently, and I am feeling alot more energetic through the day.

Do give this healthy breakfast challenge a try, or try adding more fresh fruits and vegetables into a meal daily. I am quite sure you will start feeling the difference to your skin and energy levels after a few weeks.

Do share what does your regular breakfast consists of?